Yumiko Higuchi

Ph. D. in Science, Associate Professor

Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University

Hirano 2-509-3, Otsu, Shiga 520-2113 JAPAN

higuchi.yumiko.6j [at] kyoto-u.ac.jp

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Research Interests

The ecology and evolution of plant morphology, particularly in relation to plant–animal interactions.

Keywords

plant ecology and evolution, plant-animal interaction, plant morphology, leaf morphology, insect behavior, leaf-rolling weevils, Isodon plants (Lamiaceae)

Education

2010.4 - 2014.3 Bachelor in Agriculture, Kyoto University (Weed Science, Dr. Yoshiko Shimono, Prof. Tohru Tominaga)

2014.4 - 2016.3 Master in Agriculture, Kyoto University (Weed Science, Dr. Yoshiko Shimono, Prof. Tohru Tominaga)

2016.4 - 2020.3 Ph. D. in Science, Kyoto University (Prof. Atsushi Kawakita, Prof. Shoko Sakai）

Professional Positions

2016.4 - 2018.3 Part-time lecturer, Syusei Technical College, Japan

2018.4 - 2020.3 JSPS Research Fellow (DC2), Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Japan

2020.4 - 2021.5 JSPS Research Fellow (PD), Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Japan

2021.6 - 2024.3 Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo University, Japan

2024.4 - present Associate Professor, The Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Japan

Interaction between leaf shape and leaf-processing insects

The shapes of plant leaves are diverse, but does leaf morphology affect plant–insect interactions in natural environments?

Many herbivorous insects not only consume leaves but also process them to improve their harsh surrounding environments. The physical characteristics of leaves may affect how insects manipulate them. I investigate how leaf morphology influences leaf-rolling weevils. Female leaf-rolling weevils roll up a whole leaf to lay their eggs, creating leaf rolls that serve as both food and shelter for their offspring.

I focus on the weevil species Apoderus praecellens and one of its host plants, Isodon umbrosus var. hakusanensis (Lamiaceae), which features exceptionally lobed leaves. I found that leaf shape would interfere with leaf-roll construction by females (Higuchi & Kawakita, 2019).

A female Apoderus praecellens　rolling a leaf of Isodon trichocarpus

Left: Isodon umbrosus var. hakusanensis

Right: Boehmeria silvestrii

Boehmeria silvestrii (Urticaceae) has a leaf shape similar to that of Isodon umbrosus var. hakusanensis. Another species of leaf-rolling weevil, Phymatapoderus pavens, uses this plant species. Interestingly, females of this weevil species can use large lobed leaves by processing a portion of B. silvestrii leaves (Higuchi & Kawakita, 2022).

The habit of processing leaves is known in several insect taxa. For insects that process leaves, leaf shape may be one of the factors influencing their host plant selection.

Publications *Corresponding Author

1．Yumiko Higuchi*, Yoshiko Shimono, Tohru Tominaga (2017) The expansion route of ryegrasses (Lolium spp.) into sandy coasts in Japan. Invasive Plant Science and Management 10: 61-71. https://doi.org/10.1017/inp.2017.

2．Yumiko Higuchi*, Yoshiko Shimono, Tohru Tominaga (2019) Reproductive biology and genetic population structure of two alien Lolium species inhabiting the sandy coasts of Japan. Plant Species Biology 34: 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1111/1442-1984.12235

3．Yumiko Higuchi*, Atsushi Kawakita (2019) Leaf shape deters plant processing by an herbivorous weevil. Nature Plants 5: 959–964. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-019-0505-x

4．Yumiko Higuchi*, Atsushi Kawakita (2022) Shape-dependent leaf manipulation in a leaf rolling weevil Phymatapoderus pavens (Coleoptera: Attelabidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 136:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blac016

5. Momoko Hirata, Yumiko Higuchi, Ayumi Matsuo, Mitsuhiko P Sato, Yoshihisa Suyama, Takako Kiyoshi, Akihiro Konuma, Tohru Tominaga, Yoshiko Shimono* (2023) Introduction pathways and evolutionary mechanisms of alien species of Lolium spreading across sandy coasts in Japan. Journal of Ecology https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14206

6. Yumiko Higuchi*, Minako Takegami, Masumi Yamanaka (2024) 1113. Stachyurus macrocarpus Koidz. var. prunifolius Tuyama. Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 41(3), 359–368. https://doi.org/10.1111/curt.12587